Month: June 2019

arma-3-contactSightings of a new terrain, factions, weapons, vehicles, and more

Following its reveal in May, Bohemia Interactive today published a brand-new trailer (watch on YouTube) for the anticipated upcoming Arma 3 spin-off expansion, Arma 3 Contact – which is scheduled for arrival on Steam on July 25, 2019.

Narrated by Game Designer Scott Alsworth, the new trailer goes beyond Arma 3 Contact’s extraterrestrial components – such as its military science fiction singleplayer campaign – to present a showcase of all the other sandbox assets that the Contact expansion will deliver to the wider Arma 3 platform, including a massive terrain, new factions, weapons, vehicles, and more.

The largest addition is a 163 square kilometer Eastern European terrain, which covers the partly abandoned Nadbór region within the larger Polish-speaking country of Livonia. This temperate summer environment is characterized by its many coniferous forests, open wheat fields, towns, railroads, the Biela river, and many interesting landmarks such as an old munitions factory, an abandoned radar station, and dozens of old bunkers from World War II.

To support the new locale, Arma 3 Contact will introduce two small-yet-capable new factions to the game. These are the local Livonian Defense Force and the Russian Spetsnaz. Each of these will be equipped with their own gear and have access to a customized arsenal, and will be complemented by new character faces, as well as Polish or Russian radio protocols. Moreover, the expansion will add 5 new weapons and an unlikely pair of new vehicles in the form of the Mini UGV and Tractor.

In response to first contact, there will also be various new game assets that are more closely connected to the theme of Arma 3 Contact ’s singleplayer campaign. These might have scripted gameplay functionality within the campaign, but will still be available as cosmetic-only items to players and content creators for use in the Arma 3 sandbox (e.g. multiplayer and scenario editor). Perhaps the most striking of these additions is the gear related to CBRN defense, consisting of over-garments, face masks, and breathing apparatus backpacks.

Lastly, Arma 3 Contact will bring along a variety of free bonus content for everyone who owns Arma 3. Specifically, NATO forces will be able to make use of a new woodland camouflage option providing better concealment in the Livonia terrain. Meanwhile, the local civilian population will see its wardrobe expanded with new outfits for farmers, looters, and scientists. To reinforce content creation, all Arma 3 players will receive more than 100 new terrain assets and decorative objects to use in their projects.

Not shown in this sandbox trailer is the headline act of the spin-off expansion: the story-driven “First Contact” singleplayer campaign. Here, the player will take on the role of NATO drone operator, Aiden Rudwell. When a massive alien vessel suddenly enters the Earth’s atmosphere, Specialist Rudwell joins an improvised taskforce and is sent out to investigate the extraterrestrial presence. However, amid the tension and chaos, armed conflict inevitably unfolds.

Arma 3 Contact is expected to land on July 25 and will be made available as DLC for Arma 3 on Steam. People can already pre-order the expansion on Steam and the Bohemia Store for 24.99 EUR / 27.99 USD / 21.99 GBP (plus a temporary 10% discount until one week after release). This will also grant them immediate Sneak Preview Access to the new Livonia terrain, weapons, and more.

For more information about Arma 3 Contact, visit www.arma3.com/contact.

Arma 3 First-Person Shooters | Donster | |

rainbow-six-quarantineSource: Blue’s News

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Website is now accepting signups from those interested in beta testing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Quarantine. There aren’t any details, they just offer the following pitch to everyone with a Ubisoft account:

Tell us which platform you play on to receive custom updates and a chance to play Rainbow Six Quarantine early!

thermaltake-level-20-rgb-titanium-keyboardBy Meng Vang @ Legit Reviews

Thermaltake has added a new keyboard to their Premium product series, the Level 20 RGB Titanium Edition gaming keyboard. This keyboard is a combination of outstanding build quality with the ability to synchronize lighting effects across a variety of TT RGB Plus compatible devices. Along with the desktop version of the TT iTAKE Engine software, there is a mobile version of the app with voice-controlled AI for changing different keyboard settings. The mobile app also features a patented designed Virtual Game Controller (VGC), which turns the smartphone/tablet into a wireless gaming controller. This keyboard comes in four variants: the non-Titanium models with Cherry MX Blue and Speed switches, and the Titanium Editions with Cherry MX Blue and Speed switches. Priced at $149.99 shipped on Amazon, we will take a look at the Level 20 RGB Titanium Edition with Cherry MX Speed switches.

Read The Review Here

Gaming Keyboards Hardware | Donster | |

arozzi-arena-deskBy crmaris @ TechPowerUp!

During CES 2019, we had the opportunity to take a good look at Arozzi’s products. We were aware of the company’s product variety, which had us look forward to seeing product types from the company we had not reviewed yet, including their gaming desks, something we have had an interest in lately as well. The Arena gaming desk caught our attention almost instantly as it was standing imperiously among the rest. It is a huge desk covering an impressive 14 sq. ft. and comes in six different color combinations, so there is a color option to suit everyone’s tastes. The frame and legs are made out of steel to ensure it can deal with a load of up to 80 kg (176 lb). As it stands, it currently comes in at €299 (incl. VAT) in the EU and is sold for $399 (excl. VAT) in the States.

Read The Review Here

Hardware | Donster | |

insurgency-sandstormInsurgency: Sandstorm, the smash-hit indie FPS from New World Interactive, is set to receive even more free content this month as players are invited to join the fight in the Steam Free Weekend from June 20th – June 24th. This is the perfect opportunity for newcomers to join the huge community of Insurgency: Sandstorm players, who already enjoy Insurgency’s signature style of immersive, team based, high lethality gameplay.

Today’s monster update includes new weapons, a remake of the classic Insurgency map ‘Ministry’, along with a zombie-inspired arcade mode called Frenzy. Update 1.3 is expected to go live at 3pm MT / 11pm CEST today.

Check out all this and more in the Free Weekend Trailer.

Other additions in today’s update include:

New weapons and attachments:

  • QBZ-03 Chinese assault rifle and TAR-21 MARS-style red dot optic for Insurgents
  • VHS-2 Croatian assault rifle and MRO “Micro Red Dot” optic for Security

Ministry – new indoor-focused map (remake of the Insurgency classic)

New World Interactive and Focus Home Interactive continue to be delighted with the response and community reception to Insurgency: Sandstorm so far. This upcoming content follows another large free content update in May which also featured a new map, customization options, a new hardcore cooperative game mode and more. New World Interactive has many more free content updates planned for the rest of this year and 2020, including modding support, game modes, maps, weapons, and more. Take a look at some of what’s due to arrive in the next six months in the recently announced Free Content Roadmap.

Play Insurgency: Sandstorm during the Steam Free Weekend, 10am (PT) Thursday June 20th to 10am Monday June 24th, with all this new content available free to all players. Insurgency: Sandstorm is out now on PC.

battalion-1944-eastern-frontBy Martynas Klimas @ Wargamer

Call of Duty 2 released so long ago, the series has left WW2, gone ‘Black Ops’, come back to WW, and now is leaving it again with a reboot of Modern Warfare. However, it still remains possibly the best single-player FPS set within that particular conflict. And for many, it’s still the greatest Call of Duty multiplayer experience. With that in mind, where does the recently released Battalion 1944 stand?

Read on…

asrock-z390-steel-legend-moboBy Hilbert Hagedoorn @ Guru3D

In this review, we peek at a more mainstream Z390 motherboard from ASRock, meet the Z390 Steel Legend. Ready for 8th or 9th Gen processors this board is about performance, aesthetics, and features. The board looks great, a PCH cover. and black and grey style with some gear imagery really looks nice. The board’s covered with Aluminum Alloy Heatsinks enhance stability and according to ASRock, overclocking potential. Dual full coverage M.2 SSD heatsinks dissipate heat efficiently to ensure your high speed drives always work at their best.

Read The Review Here

 

Hardware Motherboards | Donster | |

amd-radeon-software-adrenalin-2019Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD has released the latest version of their Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition Drivers. The 19.6.2 Beta release offers no performance improvements however it does add support for various Vulkan extensions while simultaneously solving a few problems. These fixed issues include, Crackdown 3 experiencing application hangs on Radeon R7 370 series products, Wireless VR experiencing performance drops across various titles on some Radeon RX 400 and 500 series graphics products, and Performance Metrics Overlay failing to enable or being disabled when toggling Radeon Overlay in game just to name a few.

The new Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.6.2 Beta drivers are available online at the AMD driver download page.

 

Hardware Video Cards | Donster | |

newhardware-iconCheck out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

Hardware | Donster | |